Final delivery

May 23, 2007

Updated: Monday, June 7, 2010 (10:55)

Leslie Wright loved a laugh, say his family.

A COURIER was put in the back of a delivery van and taken to his funeral in a cardboard box, complete with a note marked that it could not be left on a doorstep. The family of Leslie Wright, who ran a courier business in the St Ives area for 15 years, dec

A COURIER was put in the back of a delivery van and taken to his funeral in a cardboard box, complete with a note marked that it could not be left on a doorstep.

The family of Leslie Wright, who ran a courier business in the St Ives area for 15 years, decided this would be the perfect send-off for the 71-year-old.

The Mercedes Sprinter van was driven to the funeral at Eltisley Parish Church, on Friday, by son Chris, 41, and grandson, Kris, 20, and then on to Cambridge Crematorium.

Chris Wright told The Hunts Post: "After Dad died we sat and thought about what we should do.

"From talking to him over the years I knew he would not have wanted to go in a hearse.

"We always had a lot of fun with dad and one of his catchphrases was 'No, this cannot be doorstepped' so we wrote that on his coffin."

The coffin was addressed to: "Cloud 9, Peace and Quiet Road, Heaven, Near Scotland and marked with "this way up, handle with care" and "fragile".

For the ceremony, Mr Wright was dressed in his work uniform of burgundy trousers and jacket and a white T-shirt with the name of his company, LW Couriers.

His ashes will be scattered at Mr Wright's favourite holiday place, on a hill at a relative's farm in the village of Kildrummy in Aberdeenshire, in August, when he would usually visit.

Mr Wright, who lived at Eltisley, died of bowel cancer. He had undergone surgery for the condition in September but his son said he had never recovered and the cancer had spread.

Chris Wright, a computer specialist, from Bottisham, said: "He was a fun-loving man, we always had a laugh and a joke and he was living at 100 miles an hour right up to when he had the operation.

"We thought this was a fitting way to send him on his last journey."

Mr Wright said the cardboard coffin was bought from a company called Eco Coffins. At £250, it cost more than a standard coffin because they are not mass produced.

The family asked for cut flowers for the funeral and these were taken to Hilton Park Care Home, in Bottisham, where Mr Wright spent his last two months.

Mr Wright also leaves a younger son, Paul, and three other grandchildren, Kara, 12, Daniel, four, and Lewis, eight weeks.